Equity Bank has launched a 1,000-tree planting campaign at St. Julian Secondary School as part of its commitment to promoting environmental conservation and sustainability.
The event, held on Monday, October 6, 2025, drew excitement from students and staff who have been preparing for weeks.
Equity Bank Managing Director, Gift Shoko, led the tree planting exercise, emphasising the importance of collective action in preserving nature. “We are doing this so that everyone—teachers, students, and the community—takes part in protecting the environment and securing our future. As a bank, we are providing the trees and technical support, while the school is offering the land,” he said.
The initiative aligns with Equity Bank’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, which integrates sustainability into its core operations.
To encourage ownership and responsibility among students, each student who plants a tree will name it and care for it until graduation, after which it will be handed over to another student. According to the school’s director, Jeff Serujongi, this approach ensures continuity and long-term care for the trees.
The project builds on the efforts of the school’s Environmental Club, formed five months ago to promote climate action and environmental education among its 7,000 students. The club already manages a designated piece of land where students learn about plant species and practical conservation.
Lule Adam Ronald, the club’s vice president, said, “As Senior Three students, we wanted to make agriculture more practical. These trees will help us understand better how to conserve the environment and protect natural resources.”
The exercise was carried out in partnership with Agriculture for Health and Wealth Company Limited, which supplied tree seedlings financed by Equity Bank. The company’s representative, Joseph Kafuuma, explained that the project began with planting fruit and shade trees to discourage cutting and will later expand to indigenous species that enhance soil stability.
The campaign is part of Equity Bank’s wider effort to promote environmental stewardship and inspire young people to take active roles in safeguarding the planet.
